Megamusicals

The term ‘megamusical’ first began to appear in the early 1980s. Adopted first by the media, and then by critics as a useful means of defining blockbuster-type shows, it refers to musicals produced on a grand scale, with a large budget, and a great deal of publicity. They usually feature huge sets and epic, sweeping plots that typically encompass war, romance, redemption, and tragedy. Many megamusicals also include a sung-through script, accompanied by sumptuous orchestrations. This guide will explore the development of the megamusical in the late twentieth century and go on to identify key examples of the megamusical today.

Terminology

• Blockbuster: a work of entertainment that is highly popular and financially successful.
• Rap: a type of music in which the words are not sung but are spoken in a rapid, rhythmic way.
• Sung-through: a theatrical production entirely or almost entirely sung, with few or no spoken passages.

Key Dates & Events

• 1941 - Birth of Alain Boublil.
• 1944 - Birth of Claude-Michel Schönberg.
• 1946 - Birth of Cameron Mackintosh.
• 1948 - Birth of Andrew Lloyd Webber.
• 1980 - Birth of Lin-Manuel Miranda.
• 1981 - Cats opened at the New London Theatre in the West End.
• 1982 - Cats opened at the WInter Garden Theatre on Broadway.
• 1985 - The English language adaptation of Les Misérables opened at the Barbican Centre in London, produced by Cameron Mackintosh and performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company. The original French production had premiered at the Palais des Sports in Paris in 1980.
• 1997 - The Broadway premiere of The Lion King at the New Amsterdam Theatre; it opened in the West End’s Lyceum Theatre two years later. Both productions are still running.
• 2003 - Wicked opened at the Gershwin Theatre on Broadway, where it still runs to this day.
• 2015 - Premiere of Hamilton Off-Broadway; it transferred to the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway later the same year.
• 2016 - Hamilton won the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.